Combined support for shades, curtains, and drapes



FIE. MENTZ 2,474,434

COMBINED SUPPORT FOR SHADES, CURTAINS, AND DRAPES June 28, 1949.

Filed Oct. 22, 1946 INVENTOR. FRANK E. MENTZ A T TOR/VEV Patented June28, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMBINED SUPPORT FOR SHADES,CURTAINS, AND DRAPES Frank E. Mentz, Wallkill, N. Y. Application October22, 1946, Serial No. 704,857

Claims.

This invention relates to adjustable support means for window curtains,draperies, shades and the like.

An object of the invention is to provide simple, practical and efiicientmeans of the above mentioned kind.

Another object of the invention is to provide support means, which maybe mounted between the side frames of a window without the employment ofscrews or nails, thus eliminating the need to mar the window woodwork,and eliminating the time consuming and exasperating operation ofmounting separate brackets for curtains, shades and drapes.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a device which can bemounted in a window casing without the employment of any tools.

Another object of the invention is to provide support means adjustableaccording to the width of the window to which it is applied, whereby thedevice may be readily transferred from one window to another, andapplied to windows of dif? ferent width.

Another object of the invention is to provide such support meansincluding rod holders into which the rods may be mounted, and from whichthe rods may be removed without requiring the manipulation of anyfastening means.

Another object of the invention is to provide support means comprising anumber of parts all of which may be assembled by hand, and from whichthe curtain rod, or the crane rods, or a shade roller, may be separatelydetached and removed as a unit, or both the curtain rod and the cranerods may be removed without disturbing the shade roller.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved support means ofthe above mentioned kind in which the curtain rod and crane rods and thecurtain roller are all aligned automatically and without any additionaloperation, by the single operation of mounting the support means in thedesired window frame.

Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious or in partpointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements, arrangements of parts, and in the severalsteps and relation and order of each of said steps to one or more of theothers thereof, all as will be pointed out in the following description,and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in thefollowing claims.

The invention will best be understood if the 2 following description isread in connection with the drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 andFigure 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated herein the upper portionof a window 10 is indicated, having the side frames II and 12. Mountedagainst the inner faces of side frames H and I2 are the blocks 13 and Mrespectively, urged apart, and into frictional contact with the framemembers H and I2 respectively, by the rods {3 and I l projectinginwardly from blocks l 3 and M and interconnected by the turn buckle I5.The outer ends of the rods 13 and I4- may be received in bosses 1)extending inwardly from blocks l3 and M respectively, and the inner endsof rods I3 and W are provided with oppositely inclined screw threads sothat the rods I3 and M and accordingly the blocks I3 and i4, may bedrawn toward or away from one another by adjustment of turn buckle l5.Preferably the blocks l3 and I each have a relatively large face incontact with the window frames II and I? respectively thereby providingfirm frictional engagement with the said side frames II and I2respectively, without marring the inner surface of said window frames,when the turn buckle is turned to expand the device so that it isrigidly supported between the side frames of the window.

Projecting forwardly from the blocks l3 and M respectively are thebrackets l6 and ll. These brackets preferably have intermediate portionsI6 and [l respectively, extending at right angles to the end portions H5and It", and l'l and l! respectively, the intermediate portions 5 and1''" being adapted to extend outwardly over the front faces of thewindow frames I! and I? respectively.

As illustrated herein the inner ends l6 and I! of the bracket members 16and I! are received in grooves 9 provided in the outer faces of theblocks l3 and M respectively, so that said inner ends It and W areinterengaged between the blocks and the respective window side frames lland !2 when the blocks are expanded into frictional engagement with theinner faces of said window side frames respectively.

The forwardly projecting bracket portions I6 and 11 are provided withmeans for receiving between them, and providing a rotatable mount ingfor, a shade roller. Thus member "5 is promember 3i! and crane rod 3|.

vided with a vertically extending slot l8 while bracket member H isprovided with an aperture l9 adapted to receive the trunnions of a shaderoller, as will be well understood by those skilled in this art.

Fixed on the outer side of said bracket members Hi and l! respectively,are block-like lateral extensions 28 and 2| each of which is bored fromthe top to provide the sockets 20 and Zi for the turned down inner endof the arms 22 and 23 respectively. Each of these arms 22 and 23 has anintermediate horizontally extending portion, and a verticall extendingouter portion on which the rod holders 24' and 25 are mounted. Saidrod-holders 24 and 25 may also be block-like and each has a plurality ofbores extending vertically from the top and adapted to receive theturned down end of a rod, such for example as a curtain rod or a cranerod. As illustrated herein the rod holder 24' has the bores 26 and 2?,and the rod holder 25 has the bores 28 and 29. In bores 26 and 21 of rodholder 24 are received the turned down ends of curtain rod In the bores28 and 29 of rod holder 25 are received the turned down ends of curtainrod member 30 and crane rod member 32. The rods may be interchangeablebetween the bores.

Curtain rod membe 30 projects forwardly from block 24 and then is bentat right angles and projects toward the inner end of rod 39* which issimilarly bent so that it has a portion extending forwardly from block25 and another portion projecting toward, and in substantial alignmentwith, the inwardly extending ortion of rod member 30 The inner ends ofsaid ourtain rod members 39 and 36 are oppositely threaded and areinterconnected by the turn buckle 33 so that the curtain rod members 30and 30 may be shortened or lengthened in accordance with the extent towhich the distance between blocks l3 and I4 is increased or decreased.

The crane rods 3! and 32 may be bent similarly to the rod members 3!]and 30*, although their forwardly extending portions are preferablylonger than the forwardly extending portions of members 30 and 36 sothat the inwardly extending portions of said crane rods will be cated infront of the rod members 30 and 39 and in substantial alignment with oneanother. Preferably the extreme free end M of crane 3| may be turnedupwardly at right angles, and similarly the extreme free end 32 of crane32 may be turned upwardly at right angles to provide a stop fordraperies supported on the crane members 3| and 32 respectively.

The blocks 24 and 25 may be provided with cut-outs or grooves, formed inthe upper surface of said blocks and interconnecting said bores 26 and21, and 28 and 29 and the outer faces of said blocks respectively,thereby providing grooves adapted to receive the horizontally extendingportions of said curtain members 3% and Z-ik'i respectively and saidcrane rod members iii and 32 respectively, adjacent to their down turnedends and to thus cooperate with the said bores in positioning the rods.

It will be noted that after members l3 and I4 have been expanded againstthe inner faces of window frames II and I2 respectively the remainder ofthe assembly will be self aligning, in the sense that the parts as theyare assembled will assume the aligmnent derived from the positions ofsaid blocks [3 and M respectively. It will also be noted that the arms22 and 23 may be lifted out of the bores 20 and 2l= in members 20 and 2!respectively leaving only the mounting for the window shade roller, andthat the position of the curtain rod members 3|] and 30 and of crane rodmembers 3| and 32 may be interchanged, or either the crane rods or thecurtain rod members may be lifted out of the assembly without disturbingthe others.

The device as described above may be com pletely assembled by handwithout any tools, and without employing any screws or nails. The widthof the whole device may be adjusted for use either in connection with awide or a narrow window. The device is thus easy and quick to mount inposition, and may likewise be demounted easily and quickly, leaving thewindow frame unmarred.

It will thus be seen that here has been provided by this inventionapparatus, in which the various objects hereinabove set forth togetherwith many thoroughl practical advantages are successfully achieved. Asvarious possible embodiments might be made of the mechanical features ofthe above invention and as the art herein described might be varied invarious parts, all without departing from the scope of the invention, itis to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown inthe accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not ina limiting sense.

What I claim is:

1. A combination bracket for supporting a shade roller, a curtain-rod,and over-drapery cranes comprising, a support member including a turnbuckle by which the member may be expanded between the side frames of awindow, said member having end blocks adapted to be frictionally engagedagainst the side frames respectively of a window, brackets supportedfrom said end blocks and projectin forwardly, said brackets includingmeans for mounting a shade roller, arms supported by said brackets andprojecting outwardly and upwardly from said brackets respectively, inopposite directions, and each having at its free end a rod holderadapted to receive and engage one end of each of a plurality of rods, aU-shaped curtain rod havin ends adapted to engage said holdersrespectively, said rod being adjustable in length, and cranes swingablysupported by said holders respectively and extending from said holderstoward one another, in substantially the same plane, in front of theforwardly projecting middle portion of said U-shaped curtain rod.

2. Window curtain support means comprising a variable length memberadapted to be frictionally engaged between opposite sides of a window,bracket members disengageably supported from said member and projectingforwardly from said member, said bracket members each having a portionbent outwardly over the front of the window frame, arms disengaginglysupported from said bracket members respectively and extending outwardlyand upwardly from said bracket members respectively and having at theirupper ends means to engage between them one or more rods, and variablelength curtain rod adapted to be engaged and supported by said lastmentioned means.

3. A combination bracket for supporting a shade roller, a curtain-rod,and over-drapery cranes, comprising a variable length cross member,brackets projecting forwardly from said member, arms projectingoutwardly at right an- 5 gles from said brackets respectively, and eachhaving an end bent upwardly at right angles, rod hangers supported atthe top of said ends respectively, and a variable length curtain roddemountably supported between said hangers.

4. A combination bracket for supporting a shade roller, a curtain-rod,and over-drapery cranes, comprising, a variable length cross member,brackets projecting forwardly from said member, arms projectingoutwardly at right angles from said brackets respectively, and eachhaving an end bent upwardly at right angles, rod hangers supported atthe top of said ends respectively, and a variable length curtain-roddemountably supported between said hangars, and a plurality of cranemembers supported from said hangers respectively and projecting towardone another in a horizontal plane.

5. A combination bracket for supporting a shade roller, a curtain-rod,and over-drapery cranes, comprising, a variable length cross member,brackets projecting forwardly from said REFERENCES CITED The followingreferenlces are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 939,808 Cook Nov. 9, 1909 978,114Cook Dec. 6, 1910 Westfall Mar. 4, 1941

